George Newago is from the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He gave a very moving speech in late July at the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission on the Bad River reserve in Odanah, Wisconsin.

When he was a young man he wasn't too interested in making maple sugar with his uncle Mike Newago.

Now, every spring he's running a sugar bush and teaching the youth how to hunt, fish, and gather under treaties signed with the United States government.

He says it all comes down to respect, respect for the animals. the plants, the fish, and the communities where the harvesting is carried out.

We need to slow down, he says, in this fast paced world and meet in times of joy as well as sorrow to return to community.